Creative Advertising

The creative advertising major at USC was developed to help you learn and be prepared for the advertising industry. Understanding communication and advertising theories, you will engage in both the strategic and practical aspects of advertising throughout your studies. In the major, you will learn about copywriting, creative strategies, new media advertising, advertising planning and design, all cumulating to working for real clients. Alongside on campus studies, there are opportunities for internships and study tours overseas.

In your creative advertising studies, you will develop professional skills in communication, creative problem solving, critical analysis, team work, time management and leadership. These transferable skills are valuable in any chosen career.

Career opportunities

Account executive, copywriter, creative, account planner, art direction, advertising designer

Creative Writing

The USC Creative Writing major introduces you to the writing and publishing industry, and gives you hands-on experience in writing, editing and publishing, as well as exploring your writing style and genre.

In the eight core courses you will explore the fundamentals of creative writing craft, genre and writing narrative. Electives provide an opportunity to specialise in writing for youth, writing for the illustrated book, and e-publication, as well as a grounding in editing and literary contexts for your writing career.

In your study of Creative Writing, you will develop practical and professional skills in written communication, critical analysis, the publishing industry, and leadership. These transferable skills are valuable in any chosen career.

Career opportunities

Author, editor, publisher, educator, professional writer, journalist.

Drama

The USC Drama major develops performance makers and educators who can successfully navigate the live performance industry. Underpinning all courses is the integration of theory and practice to promote innovation and excellence. In the major, you will engage in studies of acting, directing, devising, theatre history and leadership. Studies of theatre history within the program will provide you with a strong foundation on which to build your performance making skills and understandings.

Electives provide options to:  work with a professional director; explore Physical Theatre; develop your scriptwriting; and/or to undertake an industry placement. The industry placement provides opportunities for work integrated learning to develop practical skills and valuable industry networks.

In your Drama studies you will develop professional skills in communication, creative problem solving, critical analysis, team work, time management and leadership. These transferable skills are valuable in any chosen career.

Career opportunities

Director, actor, playwright, producer, educator, performer, community arts worker.

Photo of USC Drama students James Sutton and Chelsea Mannix by Lisa Marree Williams.

Graphic Design

The Graphic Design major will prepare you to work as an independent designer or industry employed practitioner. You'll complete a suite of core subjects, which provide foundational and contextual knowledge and skills.

Studies in Graphic Design aims to develop a focus on the industry with an understanding of the cultural, conceptual and technological perspectives including attributes required for reflective professional practice and a commitment to ongoing problem solving through visual communication. A major in graphic design incorporates Work Integrated Learning (WIL) practice where you can either intern at a studio or agency or complete a professional client project including a graduate portfolio exhibition.

Both minor and major studies integrate the technical, creative and conceptual skills to create design outcomes that meet client requirements, whilst engaging with industry networks and sources as part of a developing professional practice. A framework of design theory and practice and the ability to analyse and synthesise information from a range of sources to generate design solutions underpins this.

Career opportunities

Art Direction, Creative Director, Advertising, publishing, book layout design, magazine layout, illustration. Leisure and tourism industries, product design, photographic editing, community services.

3D Design 

Do you love to create your own stories, worlds, props and characters, and bringing these to life? Do you want to learn how to visualise complex information and concepts in a way that fosters efficient and effective understanding of it?

The major in 3D Design and Animation will provide you with theory, skills and hands-on experiences you need to take on a career in 3D design or animation for interactive media, visualisation, film, TV, games, advertising and information/education.

You will learn 3D-modeling processes using industry standard software. Project based learning will enable you to gain an understanding of approaches to storyboarding, object modelling, character design, rigging, texturing and rendering. You will learn about animation pos-production and composition using a match-moving software, composition software and a special effects software that brings together 2D and 3D renders, green-screen video footage, photographs, text, vector artwork, and sound and music to make it all come alive.

You will also have the chance to complement your specialisation by taking elective subjects in Graphic Design, Electronic Media Design or Screen and Media, and Communication Design.

Career opportunities

2D and 3D animator, concept artist, 2D and 3D generalist, visualisation artist, visual effects (VFX) designer, character designer, environment designer, compositor.

e-Media Design

The USC e-Media major, through advancing front-end website design and development understanding, skills and knowledge, enables students to effectively progress in the profession as well as the discipline’s wide and global community of practice.

Creativity and proficiency are supported and expanded by a synthesis of theory and practice that enable the crafting of innovative website interfaces to engage targeted and general site visitors.

The major will engage you in the online design and development of a professional website portfolio in addition to either undertaking an industry placement or engaging in the design and development of a substantial website project.

Both minor and major studies integrate the development of front-end coding skills and website interface design and include capabilities in website and graphic design, wireframing, responsive layout design, accessibility and usability. You will also develop skills in visual and written communication for the Internet, creative problem solving, creative and analytical thinking strategies, time management and project management.

Career opportunities

Front-end website designer and / or developer, user interface designer and / or developer, website project manager.

Marketing

Marketing activities support everything from the birth of an idea, through conceptualising and designing a product, to persuading people to use it. Studying the marketing major you will discover how marketing connects organisations such as businesses, governments and charities, to their consumers. At the heart of marketing is understanding people - who, what, where, how and why they buy and consume goods and services. It is from these insights about people that competitive marketing strategies can be developed. In the major, you will develop the capacity to critically assess and creatively address a broad range of practical marketing scenarios across a variety of contexts. In addition to exploring commercial contexts, studies in the marketing of social causes provides the opportunity to use your marketing knowledge and skills to address issues that impact society such as reducing alcohol consumption, anti-bullying campaigns and responsible gambling interventions. The marketing major will equip you to work effectively as part of a team and display effective interpersonal communication skills so that you can communicate clearly and persuasively to a wide range of stakeholders. Furthermore, you will engage with marketing frameworks, learning how to gather, analyse and interpret relevant data so as to design innovative yet practical marketing solutions.

Career opportunities

Marketing coordinator, brand manager, product developer, fundraising specialist, communications officer, content manager, media advisor, event promoter.

Serious Games

Serious Games are more than “just a game”. Used for education, healthcare, marketing, and more, this rapidly growing industry is all about solving real world problems using the universal appeal of play. Throughout this major, you'll learn how serious games developers design and deliver experiences which can change the world. You will learn unique skills, such as puzzle design and video game production planning, and use this knowledge to create emotionally rich and challenging experiences within your own games and simulations.

Students in the Serious Games major will be able to collaborate with students from the Bachelor of Serious Games to create first class experiences for PC, Mobile, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Reality. You can take your newfound knowledge and skills into the many companies which are now growing around the games industry.

Career opportunities

Job opportunities include embedded roles in government agencies and not-for-profits, as well as video games publishing, marketing, production and management.

Screen and Media

The Screen and Media major will provide you with a strong theoretical grounding in approaches to screen and media industries. Three of the eight required courses in the major have significant practical elements, including the capstone course CMN303 Screen and Media Industry Project, in which you will work in groups on a short documentary film project. Industry mentors and guest lecturers supplement the expertise of USC’s screen and media teaching team. The major is structured to progressively develop students’ knowledge and expertise. In two first level subjects, you will study the media and communications industries, and be introduced to the major theoretical approaches to screen texts. Four second level subjects then provide opportunities for deeper engagement with screenwriting, children’s engagements with and representations in the media, editing for the screen, and film genres, histories and technologies. The two third level subjects will equip you with high levels of understanding of the history and future of television, and advanced production skills.

In your Screen and media studies you will develop professional skills in communication, creative problem solving, critical analysis, team work, time management and leadership. These transferable skills are valuable in any chosen career.

Career opportunities:

Screen producer, editor, screen writer, film critic, media manager, documentary filmmaker.